


by sun and candle-light

by zimsbitty (axolotls)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: (like i actually mean tell me i'll change it), Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Violence, i don't think this constitutes as 'graphic depictions of violence' but let me know if i'm wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 03:23:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7026553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/axolotls/pseuds/zimsbitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They get a little reckless, stealing kisses in the Haus just outside the kitchen doorway as Bitty putters about inside, exploring each other’s bodies in the stands at Faber. They begin to talk about them a little more, growing more and more confident each day in themselves and their relationship to the point that Dex thinks they might soon be brave enough to define it.</p>
<p>And then they play Michigan, and everything goes to shit.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>Dex gets hurt, and Nursey responds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	by sun and candle-light

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from [Sonnet 43 by Emily Dickinson](https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/how-do-i-love-thee-sonnet-43)

No one notices that Dex and Nursey are together for two months. They’re surprisingly subtle about it, maintaining their decorum on the ice, saving their kisses for when they’re alone. They fight as much as they did before, because some things never change, but they resolve every issue with soft apologies and warm bodies in the dark of their rooms. It’s tentative but intense, and they’re both a little too afraid of the depth of their feelings to announce it to everyone - that would mean putting a name on it, on what they feel for each other, and they’re not there yet. 

So they don’t say anything, and everyone’s too sure of their hatred for each other to see the change in their relationship. Two months since the first heated kiss in Dex’s room and the SMH are none the wiser. It’s almost too easy, Dex giving a practiced scowl whenever Chowder tries to get him to socialize with Nursey, Nursey shrugging nonchalantly whenever Ransom and Holster point out the pros of being friends and D-men. Even Bitty and Lardo miss the subtle cues they give: a glance here, a brush of a hand there, Nursey eyeing the delightful red of Dex’s blush whenever his shirt rides up to show a slither of toned, dark skin. They get a little reckless, stealing kisses in the Haus just outside the kitchen doorway as Bitty putters about inside, exploring each other’s bodies in the stands at Faber. They begin to talk about _them_ a little more, growing more and more confident each day in themselves and their relationship to the point that Dex thinks they might soon be brave enough to define it.

And then they play Michigan, and everything goes to shit.

It’s a rough game, rougher than any of them have played in a long time, and they’re not prepared. Bitty gets checked in the first period and it’s dirty. He’s lucky it’s not worse, but he has to sit out for the rest of the game and they’re furious. The SMH are now on edge, every one of them out for blood, but even when Tango checks the guy who’d got Bitty hard, Michigan don’t let up. The atmosphere in the stands has gone from enthusiastic to tense, angry ripples running through the crowd, and it doesn’t help the team keep a level head. At the end of the second period Bitty calls them over and gives them a fond but firm talking to - he’s not a damsel they need to defend; they can’t stoop to Michigan’s level; they need to play their best and play for themselves, not to prove something to their opponents. Rans and Holtz give him surprisingly gentle hugs, tease him about being a shoo-in for Captain next year (everyone else agrees) and give their own brief rallying call. 

When they go back out on the ice they’re braced to win with pride, or at least go down with dignity. Dex makes sure to skate a little too close to Nursey as they take their positions, a brief brush of arms as reassurance that they’re there, it’s okay, it’s fine. Something warm settles in Nursey’s chest, and he’s ready. The final period starts, and they’re off. The SMH play valiantly and cleanly, resistant and stoic in the face of Michigan’s questionable tactics, and it does them good. It looks like they’re going to win as they enter the final five minutes, and Dex can’t resist flashing a grin at Nursey as he hits the puck up to Tango. Nursey means to return it, meets Dex’s gaze - and catches the moment that a Michigan player crashes into Dex. 

The check is violent to the extreme and completely illegal. Everyone’s yelling around them, the crowd in uproar, the paramedics making their way out onto the ice, the team screaming at Michigan. Nursey just freezes where he stands, stares at Dex’s unmoving form, watches as the paramedics search for a pulse. The relief is palpable when they find it, but Dex is still unconscious, and is that blood? Red is seeping onto the ice, staining the delicate strands of Dex’s ginger hair a vicious scarlet. There’s a brief moment when Nursey remembers the night before, lying in Dex’s bed, running his hands through that beautiful hair, and then-

and then red is all he can see.

The linesmen have made a barrier between the SMH and Michigan where they’re baying for a fight, but they’re not watching Nursey. They don’t see him head towards the sneering Michigan player before it’s too late. Without a care for the other Michigan players around him, Nursey moves through the men until he reaches the one who hurt Dex. He skates forward at full speed, mind focused, and grabs the player by the scruff of his neck. Then they’re on the ground, the player’s helmet is half way across the rink, and Nursey lets go.

Somewhere in the peripheral, Nursey’s aware of other Michigan players trying to pull him off their teammate, but he shrugs them off like they’re water off his back. His fists punch forward and pull back in an almost methodical manner, robotic and unstoppable. He thinks his team might be shouting at him, but the words sound more like encouragement than reprimand, so he focuses on his task. There’s more red, and maybe he should stop, but he can’t stop seeing Dex lying there, unmoving, so vulnerable. And he knows he’s angry, knows he’s never been this angry in his life, but he’s also terrified, and this player should be, too. Because if he loses Dex, there won’t be enough linesmen on Earth to stop him killing this bastard.

“Enough.”

The voice comes from next to him, but he ignores it in favor of dislocating the guy’s jaw. There’s more blood here, too, and it paints an interesting picture on the white of the ice. He’s sure there’s some poetry to be had here, but maybe Dex is right. Maybe actions really do speak louder than words.

“Enough, Nursey.”

It’s Bitty, he realizes, not slowing in his ministrations but becoming somewhat more aware of the world around him. The crowd is silent, probably staring in horror, and everyone on the rink seems to be frozen. Michigan have left him alone, he notes, changing the angle of his fists so that the player’s nose makes a squelching sound with each punch.

“He’s okay, Nursey. He’s going to be okay.”

And finally he pauses, fists slowing to a stop almost comically in midair, and he turns to meet Bitty’s red-rimmed gaze. 

“He’s okay?” 

Bitty looks like he’s about to cry, eyes wet and lip bitten raw, but he nods firmly.

“Yeah, sweetheart. They’ve taken him to hospital but he’s going to be fine. He cut his head and he’s going to have a killer headache but he’s okay. You can stop now.”

Nursey stares at Bitty for a moment. There’s no evidence of a lie, and now he’s thinking of Dex in hospital all he wants is to be there and not here. He lowers his fists slowly, maintaining eye contact with Bitty, and unclenches his thighs from where he’d straddled the Michigan player’s waist. He takes Bitty’s proffered arm, pulls himself up, feels the ache start to seep into his limbs from where he knelt on the ice. He thinks some of the blood on his fists is his, but they’re numb and swollen and right now he doesn’t really care. He just wants Dex, needs to see him like breathing, and they head towards to edge of the rink. Instantly several people swarm on the player behind them, unconcious and bleeding, and Nursey feels a deep sense of satisfaction at the fact he’s left the guy in the same state the guy had left Dex. 

No one stops them as they head into the locker rooms, though he does catch his teammates staring at him at varying levels of shocked and impressed. Bitty helps him change quickly, and it’s only minutes before they’re in the car and speeding towards the hospital. He knows he’s fucked for the rest of the season - there’s no way in Hell he’ll get away with that without serious punishment - but he doesn’t care. He’d do it again in an instant, feels it in his bones. Knows that if anyone ever lays a finger on Dex he’ll lay his fist on them faster than they can blink.

“I get it, you know.” Bitty says quietly as they speed down the highway. “The team were all willing to fight but - it’s not the same. They don’t expect it of you because you’re so calm and adverse to conflict, but you’re more capable of doing serious damage than anyone when it comes to your…” he lets out a tiny, soft sigh, a distant look in his eyes. Nursey thinks it’s not just him Bitty’s talking about. “You know. You’d kill for him, but you’d rather live for him, because he needs you. And you need him more than anything in the world. That’s why you’d burn the whole thing down to keep him safe.”

They don’t speak again for the rest of the journey. Nursey mulls over Bitty’s words, aware suddenly that they have much more in common than hockey and a penchant for apple pie. It’s not a blessing for his actions, exactly, but it’s an understanding. A deeper sense of _I understand_ and _I’d do the same_ that would’ve been missing if Bitty hadn’t figured out why. The others might have, too, but something tells Nursey that they won’t connect his actions with anything other than righteous anger on behalf of his teammate. Bitty obviously guessed pretty quickly, and it makes Nursey wonder who it is that Bitty would kill for. Another secret relationship more powerful than words. Nursey feels a shocking sense of relief at the solidarity in the car at that moment, and it threatens to overwhelm him. Luckily, they approach the hospital not long after, and Nursey is able to put all thoughts aside except Dex.

Bitty leads them through the talking, charms his way to Dex’s room despite the fact neither of them look remotely related to him, and within minutes they’re standing outside a room with the blinds down on the door window. Bitty smiles encouragingly at Nursey, gestures for him to go in.

“I’ll wait out here for the others. I think you’ve got awhile before they make it down.”

And then Nursey’s pushing the door handle and going in.

The sight that greets him steals his breath.

Dex is half sitting, half lying in the bed, an IV drip in his arm, pale skin stark against the sheets. His amber eyes are open at looking directly at Nursey.

“Derek,” he says softly, and Nursey crumbles. He makes it to the bed before he collapses next to his boyfriend, sobbing uncontrollably. It’s relief and shock and fear all in one, and it overwhelms him to the point that he’s once again drawn away from reality for a few moments. 

He comes to himself a few minutes later, head buried in Dex’s lap, Dex’s thin fingers running soothingly through his hair. His face is stained and salty, the sheets beneath him damp with tears, and he looks up blearily at Dex’s face. He can see the line of a cut stitched shut just curving out from underneath the ginger fringe, and he lets out a little sob. Dex just shushes him again, leans down to press kisses to his face, murmurs into his salty skin.

“I love you,” he says, and it’s like a physical blow to Nursey’s heart. It takes a moment for it to start beating again, more rapid than ever, singing something wonderful into his veins. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” Dex repeats, presses a kiss to Nursey’s forehead for each one. He basks in the impossible warmth as Dex continues, tears falling down his cheeks now, voice raw and honest and desperate. “There was a moment when I thought that was it, when he crashed into me, when I saw the ice coming at me. A moment when I thought I was going to die. And all I could think was, I never told you that. I never told you how much you mean to me. I never told you I love you more than anything.” Dex is sobbing now, frame shaking with it, and Nursey pulls himself up to pull Dex into his arms. He pushes his nose into Dex’s hairline, nuzzles the skin there, holds on for dear life. It’s his turn to make soothing noises, and he rubs one hand up and down Dex’s back, the other cupping the back of his pale neck.

When Dex’s sobs have quietened into whimpers, Nursey pulls back far enough to rest his forehead against his boyfriend’s. He closes his eyes, then wills himself to open them. Gray meets amber, and Nursey speaks.

“I love you, Will,” he murmurs, hands cupping freckled cheeks. Dex’s eyes are wide and wet, and Nursey has to close his eyes again for a brief moment so as not to be overwhelmed by them. “I love you. I love thee,” he starts, then lets out a wet chuckle. Dex grins and presses forward to kiss Nursey sweetly.

“You and your poetry, Derek Malik Nurse.”

“I’d kiss the words of sonnet 43 into your skin if I could,” he says, smiling. His face grows more serious, and he looks at Dex intently. “It’s true, Dex. I love you so much I nearly killed a man today because he hurt you.” Dex doesn’t look surprised at this act of violence like everyone else had been, but he does look a little concerned. His eyes drop to Nursey’s hands, and he frowns at how swollen they are. 

“Derek-”

“It’s fine. We’re in a hospital, I’ll get them checked out in a minute.” Dex looks at him fondly.

“You’re an idiot,” he says. A pause, then, “Did you get his nose?”

“I got every inch of the bastard’s face.”

“Good.” They grin at each other. After a moment, Dex glances at Nursey’s hands again. “We need to call the doctor in.” Nursey sighs.

“Fine, Poindexter. If you must.” Dex rolls his eyes and presses the call button. 

Someone’ll be there in a minute, no doubt with the SMH hot on their heels, but until that point they should probably kiss. Dex says as much to his boyfriend, and Nursey enthusiastically agrees. They hold each other gently, both a little bruised, warm hands and mouths saying more in that moment than words ever could.

After all, if this day has shown anything, actions often speak louder.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an upload of the fic on my tumblr [here](http://zimsbitty.tumblr.com/post/145125062943/no-one-notices-that-dex-and-nursey-are-together). Let me know if I need to change the archive warnings!
> 
>  
> 
> [Come say hi!](http://zimsbitty.tumblr.com)


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